Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-12-30
CO1LS or FIRE
A New Yenr's sketch OF New England
Country Life.

A New Ycnr's sketch Of New England
Country Life.
Winter seemed in no hurry that year.
The little weavers mp i'm the sky were late
in making the earth's white mantle. Christ
mas brought no Jingle of sleighbells but ere
the following week was half gone, the
north wind rushed down from the hills, as
if in great rage at having dallied so long,
and in less than twelve hours the mirc in
the roads was frozen into solid ridges, the
canal was held in icy bands, and down
came the snow in dense, whirling mass.
On the last afternoon Of the old year
there might have been seen plodding along
the white road, unmarked yet by sleigh
runners, the figure Of woman. Not a
young person by any means, for the strag
Cling locks which the wind blew from un-
der the huge, fur bordered hood were whit
ened by something else than snow flakes.
But the face itself, though old and wriu-
kled was ruddy with health and vigor, and
the brisk manner in which she plowed her
way through the white furrows proved
Miss Tryphena Higgins to be no decrepit
creature, no matter what her years might
number
Suddenly she paused before a little brown
cottage which looked like a robins nest
dropped down in the snow, fumbled min
ute at the gate latch, went in the yard and
up the path leading to the porch. Once un-
der the shelter Of the latter, she seized
broom standing conveniently near and pro
ceeded to brush the white, powdery mass
from feet, hood and clothing Then plung-
ing her hand into the little green reticule
dangling from her arm, she drew forth
key. unlocked the door and went in 1t
] IL Rtf no
pot belled stove in the corner sent forth "A
ruddy glow the bird in the cage by the
window sprang from his wooden perch into
/ his swing and piped forth a CHEEKY wei
come the stand Of plants by the south win
dow filed the room with faint odors of lem
| ON verbcna and rose geranium the bright
/ Turkevre red cushions of the easy chairs
| looked plump and inviting, and when the
/ kitchen door was opened in stalkcd the hlg
| gray cat-Thomas Henry by name-purr-
| ing insinuatingly But all these signs of
| cheer and comfort seemed lost on the mis-
/ tress and, removing her outer wrappers,
| she sank down in disconsolate heap be
/ fore the red fire, and taking the cat ON her
| lap, began doleful soliloquy:
1t does beat all, Thomas Henry =. she
said 1T reminds me of that man in Scrip
ter who was going to pull down his barns
| knowed he had to die Twas only last
Monday evenin' that | sot here, plannn' to
have "A bay-winder put there on the south
side when the warm weather come and
"ddn' a little piazzv to the back part of the
/ - =. to have a nice place to set in an
knit or IS ~ ,SStaters without havn' all
".'' =" PVoi was goin' to have
| the barn shingled too, and the front .gFNr
. / IL. ]
hear is that [ won't have even a home
and Miss Tryphena gave an aggressive
poke at the fire which sent shower of red
/ sparks flying up the chimney.
IF honestly owed the debt ! wouldn't
care so mnch, " she continued but know
that don't! I'm as sure Brother Eben-
ezer paid it as ! am that it's snowin' out
Didn't we both pinch and save for five
years after pops death TO git together
enough to pay off that ere mortgage
reckon An at last we did git it An
seen Ebenezer when he counted out the
bills-it was in tens and fives, with a new,
crisp one hundred dollars that we got fur
Seliu the young horse, Jerry. How well
| remember that evenin' Then Ebenezer
put on his thick old coat. for it was ranin
hard an blowin'-equinocti we was hav
in-an' said he was goin' over to Squire
IN ~, .il 49, ,,;. L,,,,,,
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learn. he had been at the 'Squire's before he
. stopped at the tavern, and of course
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a,o ia bnmdrai doar "s' ', t
then = An tbe 'Snuire savs Ioolin' os
solemn os when he masses round the nlate
SUNDAYS saws he .Vall-oban, - LNIiss
Trvnbsr, Won kno,, ,nnr unfortunate
brotbar wos 50 nnvyisa os to ston at tba
tavern an his return and il NAV he tbot
ho-pambled-abem or. perbans he may
have been robbed He was considerable
under the Influence of-abem of intoxi
eating drink and ms near ms I can learn
there were some nrettv rougb fellows there
that nigbt Anyhow nrav he convinced
tbot tbe r,ort,,a,,a has not Laan mil otf
far se,. here il is and he tool ont roli
of no,,ars tiad mn with nink tame an be
dra,yad ont ons a,, sbo,,.a5 IL 70 me- Isean
il yyos the identical mort,,a.,e-the same rod
seals IN il an tbe verv big LIot made
when sirned my, namaEbein1 kinder nor
vons mn hesides mn, WINS ,yaltin' acrost
tba taIla ;ast then Tb1mos Uenr, an
neorl,- tinnad o,,a, tbs mi, It'll u.itL ,,o,,.
tail VIII seein, Is beliavin' and tLsrs
,ra'p't nntbir, mora Ia La soid So I come
away tho 'Snnira bovin' mo ont With fine
yrorJs-Lut f1r oil tbst lno,, h.. ain't tLa
Lind IN sbo,, any, ,,oss,, ,,ben tho r,,,t,,a,,e
comes lue an I'm have IN ,,;t ont from, nm
Jar tb;s roof ias+ os s,,,o a ,,os,,ai truth ~
aud n to,,. roIled do,yn on Thomas Henry
silver-,,rov fnr
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